If you have a large barbecue pit, a few assistants, and an urge for the ultimate challenge, you should tackle a whole hog. This was the original barbecue meat of the South, and it's still the first choice of many prominent pitmasters. Among all the experts, no one does a better job than Jim Quessenberry, founder and leader of the Arkansas Trav'lers barbecue team. We had the honor of cooking with the Trav'lers one year at the Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Contest, where Jim taught us his techniques.

As Quessenberry says, "The most important factor in whole hog is in fact the hog, himself." Bribe your butcher for the best animal in the area. Jim gets his hogs from a Mennonite farmer in Tennessee who custom raises them on corn for a firm white meat that's as mild as turkey. The butcher should gut the hog, skin it, and trim the outside fat to a 1/4-inch thickness.

Ingredients:

• One full-grown hog, 120 to 150 pounds, skinned and trimmed

• 3 cups ground black pepper
• 3 cups paprika
• 3 cups turbinado sugar *
• 1 1/2 cup salt
• 8 tablespoons dry mustard
• 4 tablespoons cayenne

Quessenberry's Quintessential Hog Mop:

• 3 quarts cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 quarts water
• 3/4 cup salt

• 2 cups cider or white vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sugar or brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon cayenne or hot red pepper flakes

1. Fire up the pit, preferably with a combination of hickory and oak, and bring it to a temperature of 250 degrees F.

2. Rub the hog thoroughly with Southern Succor Rub and lift onto the pit, belly side down. If the pit has an offset firebox, position the head facing away from the fire and cover the hams loosely with aluminum foil. Every hour or so, sprinkle on more dry spices or mop the meat with the vinegar mixture, alternating between the two applications.

3. Maintain a steady cooking temperature of 200 degrees F to 250 degrees F for 18 to 20 hours, or until the internal temperature of the meat is 165 degree F to 170 degree F.